Kansas City Actors Theatre

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Kansas City Actors Theatre (KCAT) is a non-profit theatre in Kansas City, Missouri. [1] Started in 2004, Kansas City Actors Theatre was founded in order to “challenge and enlighten the Kansas City community by producing classic and modern-classic plays using Kansas City theatre artists.” The company presents a collection of plays that are integrated either over a season or in rotating repertory, in order to deepen the appreciation of each play. [2] The theatre is also known to be a place for young local actors to obtain experience in a professional setting. [3] The artist-led theatre company often collaborates with theatre students from the UMKC Theatre . [4] [5] This Mission was exemplified when they were the first theatre company to run Lanford Wilson’s Tally Trilogy in repertory. [6]

UMKC Theatre is a graduate and undergraduate academic department of the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) that provides both educational and professional training in multiple areas of theatrical production, including acting, scenic design, lighting design, costume design, sound design, dramaturgy and historical research, playwriting, and stage management, and maintains a strong connection with the Kansas City Repertory Theatre (KCRT), the leading regional theatre in the Kansas City area.

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In 2015, KCAT was awarded the American Theatre Wing's National Theatre Company Grant. [7]

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KCAT uses professional actors in various performance spaces around Kansas City, Missouri. [8] Notably, KCAT has produced productions at the National World War I Museum , [9] H&R Block City Stage, and in Union Station (Kansas City, Missouri). Many founders of KCAT are also professors at UMKC Theatre, including Tom Mardikes . [10]

Anastasios "Tom" Mardikes is an American sound designer and theatre educator. He currently serves as Professor and Head of Graduate Sound Design for UMKC Theatre, an academic department of the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

For a short period, starting in 2006, Kansas City Actors Theatre changed its name to “Actors theatre”, but the name returned to the original name shortly after. [11]

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References

  1. Kansas City Actors Theatre." Kansas City Actors Theatre RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://www.kcactors.org>.
  2. Kansas City Actors Theatre." Kansas City Actors Theatre RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://www.kcactors.org>.
  3. Trussell , Robert. "Acting troupe fills niche in KC theater ." The Kansas City Star 2 June 2005, sec. Theatre: 31. Print.
  4. Trussell , Robert . "Putting a Focus on Actors." Kansas City Star 18 Feb. 2007, sec. Theatre: 16-17. Print.
  5. Suh, Grace. "Kansas City Actors Theatre and UMKC Theatre join forces in Oh, What a Lovely War! ." The Pitch. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.pitch.com/>.
  6. Trussell , Robert . "Three From the Talleys." The Kansas City Star 1 June 2006, sec. Theatre: 31. Print.
  7. "American Theatre Wing Announces Recipients of 2015 National Theatre Company Grants | Playbill". Playbill. Retrieved 2017-11-29.
  8. Kansas City Actors Theatre." Kansas City Actors Theatre RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2014. <http://www.kcactors.org
  9. Cook, Liz. "Journey's End digs into World War I with grace and wit ." ThePitch.com: The Leading The Pitch Site on the Net. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Apr. 2014. <http://www.pitch.com>.
  10. Trussell , Robert . "Putting a Focus on Actors." Kansas City Star 18 Feb. 2007, sec. Theatre: 16-17. Print.
  11. Trussell , Robert . "Putting a Focus on Actors." Kansas City Star 18 Feb. 2007, sec. Theatre: 16-17. Print.